The Magnetic North eBook

“Despair lies down and grovels,
grapples not
With evil, casts the burden of its lot.
This Age climbs earth.
—­To challenge heaven.
—­Not less The lower deeps.
It laughs at Happiness.”
—­George Meredith

Everybody on Bonanza knew that the Colonel had left
off struggling to get out of his bed to go to work,
had left off calling for his pardner. Quite in
his right senses again, he could take in Maudie’s
explanation that the Boy was gone to Dawson, probably
to get something for the Colonel to eat. For
the Doctor was a crank and wouldn’t let the sick
man have his beans and bacon, forbade him even such
a delicacy as fresh pork, though the Buckeyes nobly
offered to slaughter one of their newly-acquired pigs,
the first that ever rooted in Bonanza refuse, and
more a terror to the passing Indian than any bear or
wolf.

“But the Boy’s a long time,” the
Colonel would say wistfully.

Before this quieter phase set in, Maudie had sent
into Dawson for Potts, O’Flynn and Mac, that
they might distract the Colonel’s mind from
the pardner she knew could not return. But O’Flynn,
having married the girl at the Moosehorn Cafe, had
excuse of ancient validity for not coming; Potts was
busy breaking the faro bank, and Mac was waiting till
an overdue Lower River steamer should arrive.

Nicholas of Pymeut had gone back as pilot of the Weare,
but Princess Muckluck was still about, now with Skookum
Bill, son of the local chief, now alone, trudging
up and down Bonanza like one looking for something
lost. The Colonel heard her voice outside the
tent and had her in.

“You goin’ to marry Skookum Bill, as they
say?”

Muckluck only laughed, but the Indian hung about waiting
the Princess’s pleasure.

“When your pardner come back?” she would
indiscreetly ask the Colonel. “Why he goes
to Dawson?” And every few hours she would return:
“Why he stay so long?”

At last Maudie took her outside and told her.

Muckluck gaped, sat down a minute, and rocked her
body back and forth with hidden face, got up and called
sharply: “Skookum!”

They took the trail for town. Potts said, when
he passed them, they were going as if the devil were
at their heels—­wouldn’t even stop
to say how the Colonel was. So Potts had come
to see for himself—­and to bring the Colonel
some letters just arrived.

Mac was close behind ... but the Boy? No-no.
They wouldn’t let anybody see him; and Potts
shook his head.

“Well, you can come in,” said Maudie,
“if you keep your head shut about the Boy.”

The Colonel was lying flat, with that unfaltering
ceiling-gaze of the sick. Now his vision dropped
to the level of faces at the door. “Hello!”
But as they advanced he looked behind them anxiously.
Only Mac—­no, Kaviak at his heels! and the
sick man’s disappointment lightened to a smile.
He would have held out a hand, but Maudie stopped
him. She took the little fellow’s fingers
and laid them on the Colonel’s.